Boy Smiles As Mother Makes Him Play Dress-Up, Then Family Dies By Suicide

Kavita dressed her younger son, Ramdev, in women's clothing, placed a dupatta on his head, applied kajal to his eyes, and put her own gold jewellery on him. Then her entire family - husband, herself, Ramdev and her other son - jumped into a water tank near their home in Rajasthan's Barmer. All four are dead.

The family has been identified as Shivlal Meghwal, aged 35, his wife Kavita, 32, and their two sons, Bajrang (9) and Ramdev (8). The bodies were discovered in a water tank located 20 metres from their residence. The bodies have been recovered, and an investigation has been launched to determine why the parents died by suicide, which also killed their minor sons. 

The Incident

According to the police, the incident happened Tuesday evening. The bodies were retrieved from the tank early Wednesday morning in the presence of relatives, including the couple's in-laws, who had been informed of the incident late Tuesday night but were unable to reach the scene until the next morning.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Manaram Garg confirmed that the incident came to light after Shivlal's younger brother was unable to reach him by phone and subsequently sent a neighbour to check on the family. Upon failing to get a response, the neighbour informed local authorities.

Suicide Note

A handwritten suicide note was recovered from the house, reportedly authored by Shivlal. The letter, dated June 29, names three individuals as responsible for the family's decision, one of them being Shivlal's younger brother. The note outlines years of conflict within the household, primarily over rights to shared land and residence.

The letter also featured a request that the last rites of all four victims be performed in front of their home.

According to Kavita's uncle, Shivlal wanted to build a separate house using funds sanctioned under the central government's Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). But he allegedly faced opposition from his mother and younger brother, both of whom are accused in the note.

"Shivlal wanted to build a separate house with funds sanctioned under PM Awas Yojana. But his brother and mother did not allow it. This constant harassment forced him to write a suicide note on June 29," Kavita's uncle was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

He also confirmed that on the day of the incident, the rest of the extended family was away. Shivlal's mother had gone to Barmer to visit his brother, and his father was attending a religious function. With the household empty, Shivlal and Kavita are believed to have switched off their phones and proceeded with the act.